Data Packet Processing Method and Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A data packet processing method and apparatus, where a storage apparatus disposed on a network side stores a correspondence between an identifier and data flow characteristic information. When configuring a policy for a data packet including a first identifier, a network-side device requests the storage apparatus for data flow characteristic information corresponding to the first identifier. A policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) receives a data packet that is sent by a user equipment (UE), matches the data packet against the data flow characteristic information, and when the data packet matches the data flow characteristic information, executes a policy on the data packet according to policy information corresponding to the first identifier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/024,234, filed on Jun. 29, 2018, which is a continuation ofInternational Patent Application No. PCT/CN2015/100322, filed on Dec.31, 2015. All of the aforementioned patent applications are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present application relate to the communicationsfield, and more specifically, to a data packet processing method and anapparatus.

BACKGROUND

A core network in a system architecture evolution (SAE) network mainlyincludes three logical functionalities: a mobility management entity(MME), a serving gateway (SGW), and a packet data network (PDN) gateway(PGW).

The MME is responsible for functions such as non-access stratum (NAS)signalling transmission, NAS signalling encryption, roaming, tracking,temporary user identity allocation, and security. The SGW is responsiblefor functions such as a local mobility anchor, a mobility anchor withina 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) system, and lawfulinterception of related information. The PGW is responsible for relatedfunctions such as policy execution, charging, and lawful interception.

The SAE network may further include a home subscriber server (HSS), apolicy and charging rules function (PCRF), and the like. The HSS isconfigured to store subscriber subscription information. The PCRF is afunctional entity in a policy and charging control (PCC) architecture,and is configured to set a policy and charging rule for a service flowin a network. The policy and charging rule includes a quality of service(QoS) rule, and the like.

In addition, the PCC architecture may further include a policy andcharging enforcement function (PCEF), which is configured to complete apolicy and charging enforcement function. The functional entity isusually jointly deployed with the PGW. The PCC architecture may furtherinclude a subscription profile repository (SPR), which is a databasestoring a parameter of a service data flow of a subscriber.

To open related information of a 3GPP network to a 3rd party application(3rd Application) server, other approaches provides an enhanced networkarchitecture. That is, a logical functional entity—a service capabilityexposure function (SCEF) is introduced. There is an interface betweenthis logical function and a network element device in the SAE network.An upper layer of the SCEF is an application layer, that is, the 3rdparty application server (AS). The 3rd party application server mayestablish a connection to the SCEF, such that the 3GPP network may sendinformation to the 3rd party application server using the SCEF, and the3rd party application server may also send information to the 3GPPnetwork using the SCEF.

In this enhanced network architecture, related information transmittedduring execution of charging or another policy for a data flow istransmitted among the AS, the SCEF, and the PCRF on a per user equipment(UE) basis. A relatively large amount of the related information ofcharging and another policy results in relatively heavy load ofinformation transferred on the interface of the SCEF. Particularly, ifrelated information of charging and another policy corresponding to UEfrequently changes, the related information of charging and anotherpolicy needs to be frequently transmitted on the interface.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a data packet processingmethod and apparatus, in order to avoid transmitting a considerableamount of data flow characteristic information on an interface of anSCEF, and relieve load on the SCEF.

According to a first aspect, a data packet processing method isprovided, where from a perspective of a PCEF, the method includes:receiving, by the policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF), afourth message that is sent by a policy and charging rules function(PCRF), where the fourth message includes a first identifier and policyinformation corresponding to the first identifier; sending, by the PCEF,a fifth message to a storage apparatus, where the fifth message includesthe first identifier, the storage apparatus stores a correspondencebetween an identifier and data flow characteristic information, and thefifth message is used to request the storage apparatus for data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier;receiving, by the PCEF, a sixth message that is sent by the storageapparatus, where the sixth message includes the data flow characteristicinformation corresponding to the, identifier; receiving, by the PCEF, adata packet that is sent by a user equipment (UE); matching informationcarried in the data packet against the data flow characteristicinformation; and executing, by the PCEF, a policy on the data packetaccording to the policy information when the information carried in thedata packet matches the data flow characteristic information.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifierincludes 5-tuple information and/or a uniform resource locator (URL)corresponding to the first identifier, and the method may furtherinclude: determining, by the PCEF, whether 5-tuple information and/or aURL included in the data packet is the 5-tuple information and/or theURL corresponding to the first identifier; and when the PCEF determinesthat the 5-tuple information and/or the URL included in the data packetis the 5-tuple information and/or the URL corresponding to the firstidentifier, executing, by the PCEF, the policy on the data packetaccording to the policy information.

In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifierincludes application detection information corresponding to the firstidentifier. Additionally, receiving, by the PCEF, a data packet that issent by a UE and matching information carried in the data packet againstthe data flow characteristic information includes: receiving, by thePCEF, the data packet that is sent by the UE; checking the data packetaccording to the application detection information corresponding to thefirst identifier; and determining whether the data packet belongs to anapplication corresponding to the first identifier. Further, executing,by the PCEF, a policy on the data packet according to the policyinformation when the information carried in the data packet matches thedata flow characteristic information includes executing, by the PCEF,the policy on the data packet according to the policy information whenthe PCEF determines that the data packet belongs to the applicationcorresponding to the first identifier.

In the first aspect and the corresponding implementations, the methodmay further include determining, by the PCEF, that the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier is notlocally stored.

According to a second aspect, a data packet processing method isprovided, where from a perspective of a storage apparatus, the methodincludes: receiving, by the storage apparatus, a first message that issent by a 3rd party application server (AS) using a service capabilityexposure function (SCEF), where the first message includes informationindicating a correspondence between an identifier and data flowcharacteristic information; receiving, by the storage apparatus, a fifthmessage that is sent by a PCEF, where the fifth message includes a firstidentifier, and the fifth message is used to request the storageapparatus for data flow characteristic information corresponding to thefirst identifier; determining, by the storage apparatus according to thefirst identifier and the correspondence, the data flow characteristicinformation corresponding to the first identifier; and sending, by thestorage apparatus, a sixth message to the PCEF, where the sixth messageincludes the data flow characteristic information corresponding to thefirst identifier.

In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the correspondencemay include a correspondence between an identifier and applicationdetection information.

In this implementation, determining, by the storage apparatus accordingto the first identifier and the correspondence, the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier mayinclude determining, by the storage apparatus according to the firstidentifier and the correspondence between an identifier and applicationdetection information, application detection information correspondingto the first identifier, where the application detection informationcorresponding to the first identifier is used as the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier.Additionally, the application detection information corresponding to thefirst identifier is used to check whether a corresponding data packetbelongs to an application corresponding to the first identifier.

In another possible implementation of second aspect, the correspondencemay include a correspondence between an identifier and at least one of5-tuple information or a URL.

In this implementation, determining, by the storage apparatus accordingto the first identifier and the correspondence, the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier mayinclude determining, by the storage apparatus according to the firstidentifier and the correspondence between an identifier and at least oneof 5-tuple information or a URL, 5-tuple information and/or a URLcorresponding to the first identifier, where the 5-tuple informationand/or the URL corresponding to the first identifier is used as the dataflow characteristic information corresponding to the first identifier.

According to a third aspect, a data packet processing method isprovided, where from a perspective of an AS, the method includessending, by a 3rd party AS, a second message to an SCEF, where thesecond message includes a first identifier and policy informationcorresponding to the first identifier.

In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method may furtherinclude sending, by the AS, a first message to the SCEF, where the firstmessage includes a correspondence between an identifier and data flowcharacteristic information.

In this implementation, the second message may further include a firstUE list, and the first UE list includes at least two UEs.

In another possible implementation of the third aspect, thecorrespondence may include a correspondence between an identifier andapplication detection information.

In this implementation, the correspondence may include a correspondencebetween an identifier and at least one of 5-tuple information or a URL.

According to a fourth aspect, a data packet processing method isprovided, where from a perspective of an SCEF, the method includes:receiving, by the SCEF, a second message that is sent by a 3rd party AS,where the second message includes a first identifier and policyinformation corresponding to the first identifier; and sending, by theSCEF, a third message to a policy and charging rules function (PCRF),where the third message includes the first identifier and the policyinformation.

In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the second messagemay further include a first UE list, and the first UE list includes atleast two UEs; and the third message further includes a second UE list,and the second UE list includes at least one UE.

In this implementation, the first UE list and the second UE list may beidentical.

In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the method mayfurther include: receiving, by the SCEF, a first message that is sent bythe AS, where the first message includes a correspondence between anidentifier and data flow characteristic information; and sending, by theSCEF, the first message to the storage apparatus.

In a feasible solution of this implementation, the correspondenceincludes a correspondence between an identifier and applicationdetection information.

In another feasible solution of this implementation, the correspondenceincludes a correspondence between an identifier and at least one of5-tuple information or a URL.

According to a fifth aspect, a data packet processing method isprovided, where from a perspective of a PCRF, the method includes:receiving, by the PCRF, a third message that is sent by a servicecapability exposure function (SCEF), where the third message includes afirst identifier and policy information corresponding to the firstidentifier; and sending, by the PCRF, a fourth message to a PCEF, wherethe fourth message includes the first identifier and the policyinformation.

In a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the third message mayfurther include a UE list, and sending, by the PCRF, a fourth message toa PCEF may include sending, by the PCRF, the fourth message to the PCEFaccording to the UE list, where the fourth message instructs to execute,according to the policy information, a policy on a UE included in the UElist.

Based on the foregoing technical solutions, according to the data packetprocessing method in this embodiment of the present disclosure, astorage apparatus disposed on a network side stores a correspondencebetween an identifier and data flow characteristic information. Whenconfiguring a policy for a data packet including a first identifier, anetwork-side device requests the storage apparatus for data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier. Thisavoids transmitting a considerable amount of data flow characteristicinformation on an interface of an SCEF, and relieves load on the SCEF.

According to a sixth aspect, another data packet processing method isprovided, where from a perspective of an SCEF, the method includes:receiving, by the SCEF, a first message that is sent by a 3rd party AS,where the first message includes data flow information, policyinformation corresponding to the data flow information, and a first UElist, and the first UE list includes at least two UEs; and sending, bythe SCEF, a second message to a PCRF. The second message includes thedata flow information, the policy information, and a second UE list, andthe second UE list includes at least one UE, such that the PCRFexecutes, according to the second UE list, a policy corresponding to thepolicy information on UE included in the second UE list.

In a possible implementation of the sixth aspect, the first UE list andthe second UE list may be identical.

According to a seventh aspect, another data packet processing method isprovided, where from a perspective of an AS, the method includessending, by a 3rd party AS, a first message to an SCEF where the firstmessage includes data flow information, policy information correspondingto the data flow information, and a first UE list, and the first UE listincludes at least two UEs.

According to an eighth aspect, another data packet processing method isprovided, where from a perspective of a PCRF, the method includes:receiving, by the PCRF, a second message that is sent by an SCEF, wherethe second message includes the data flow information, policyinformation corresponding to the data flow information, and a second UElist, and the second UE list includes at least one UE; and executing, bythe PCRF according to the second list, a policy corresponding to thepolicy information on a UE included in the second UE list.

Based on the foregoing technical solutions, according to the data packetprocessing method in another embodiment of the present disclosure, in adata packet processing process, an AS sends data flow information ofmultiple UEs and corresponding policy information to a network-sidedevice at a time using an SCEF. This avoids transmitting a considerableamount of data flow characteristic information on an interface of theSCEF, and relieves load on the SCEF.

The present disclosure further provides a data packet processingapparatus implementing the foregoing eight aspects, and the apparatusincludes a PCEF, a storage apparatus, an AS, an SCEF, and a PCRF whichare configured to implement the foregoing aspects and correspondingimplementations.

The present disclosure further provides a system including a 3rd partyAS, an SCEF, and a PCRF that are configured to implement the first tothe fifth aspects. The system may further include a PCEF. The PCEF, theSCEF, the PCRF, and the AS are respectively corresponding tocorresponding apparatuses in the foregoing data packet processingapparatus implementing the foregoing eight aspects.

The present disclosure further provides a system including a 3rd partyAS, an SCEF, and a PCRF that are configured to implement the sixth tothe eight aspects. The system may further include a PCEF. The PCEF, theSCEF, the PCRF, and the AS are respectively corresponding tocorresponding apparatuses in the foregoing data packet processingapparatus implementing the foregoing eight aspects.

It should be understood that the policy information may include at leastone type of payer information, Quality of Service (QoS) information, orservice chain information,

In addition, the first identifier may include an application name.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure more clearly, the following briefly describes theaccompanying drawings required for describing the embodiments or otherapproaches. The accompanying drawings in the following description showmerely some embodiments of the present disclosure, and a person ofordinary skill in the art may still derive other drawings from theseaccompanying drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an existing charging procedure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing methodaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a PCEF according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a PCEF according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram of a storage apparatus according toan embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a schematic block diagram of a storage apparatus according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a schematic block diagram of an AS according to an embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a schematic block diagram of an AS according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a schematic block diagram of an SCEF according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram of an SCEF according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram of a PCRF according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 21 is a schematic block diagram of a PCRF according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 22 is a schematic block diagram of an SCEF according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 23 is a schematic block diagram of an SCEF according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 24 is a schematic block diagram of an AS according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 25 is a schematic block diagram of an AS according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 26 is a schemata, block diagram of a PCRF according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 27 is a schematic block diagram of a PCRF according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following clearly describes the technical solutions in theembodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The describedembodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skillin the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure withoutcreative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the presentdisclosure.

Terms such as “component”, “module”, and “system” used in thisspecification are used to indicate computer-related entities, hardware,firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or softwarebeing executed. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to,a process that runs on a processor, a processor, an object, anexecutable file, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. Asshown in figures, both a computing device and an application that runson a computing device may be components. One or more components mayreside within a process and/or a thread of execution, and a componentmay be located on one computer and/or distributed between two or morecomputers. In addition, these components may be executed from variouscomputer-readable media that store various data structures. For example,the components may communicate using a local and/or remote process andaccording to, for example, a signal having one or more data packets (forexample, data from one components interacting with another component ina local system, a distributed system, and/or across a network such asthe Internet interacting with other systems using the signal).

It should be understood that the technical solutions in the embodimentsof the present disclosure may be applied to a Long Term Evolution (LTE)architecture, or may be applied to a Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) architecture, ora Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)/Enhanced Data rates forGSM Evolution (EDGE) system radio access network (GSM EDGE Radio AccessNetwork (RAN), GERAN) architecture, in the UTRAN architecture or theGERAN architecture, a function of an MME is completed by a servinggeneral packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN), and a functionof an SGW/PGW is completed by a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN). Thetechnical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure mayfurther be applied to another communications system, such as a future 5Gcommunications system even. The embodiments of the present disclosureare not limited thereto.

The embodiments of the present disclosure are used for executing variouspolicies, such as a charging policy, Quality of Service (QoS) policy,and a service chain policy. The following uses an example to brieflydescribe a charging procedure in an existing enhanced networkarchitecture, that is, a network architecture including an SCEF.

As shown in FIG. 1, a network architecture includes an AS 11, an SCEF12, a PCRF 13, and a PCEF 14. A charging procedure 100 includes thefollowing steps.

S101. After the AS 11 establishes a connection to a UE, the AS 11 sends,to the SCEF 12, a charging party setting request message requesting tobe a data flow payer. The charging party setting request messageincludes payer information (Sponsor Information) and 5-tuple information(Internet Protocol (IP) Filter Information). The IP Filter Informationis a type of data flow information which data flow information is paidby the AS 11 herein.

S102. The SCEF 12 authorizes the AS 11 to perform data flow charging.

S103. The SCEF 12 determines a PCRF 13 corresponding to the UE, and theSCEF 12 sends a payment request message to the PCRF 13, and the messageincludes the IP filter information and the sponsor information.

S104. The PCRF 13 returns a response message to the SCEF 12.

S105. The PCRF 13 activates a PCC rule on the PCEF 14 according to a3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.203 protocol, and executes a policythat a charging party charges a data packet including the IP filterinformation for the UE.

S106, S107, and S108 are subsequent conventional steps of charging.S106: The PCRF 13 reports a status message to the SCEF 12. S107: TheSCEF 12 feeds back an acknowledgement (ACK) message to the PCRF 13.S108: The SCEF 12 feeds back a response message to the AS 11. Detailsare not described herein.

The foregoing procedure is on a per UE basis. A relatively large amountof the IP filter information usually results in relatively heavy load ofinformation transferred on an interface of an SCEF. Particularly, if IPfilter information of the UE frequently changes and the IP filterinformation needs to be frequently updated, the IP filter informationneeds to be frequently transferred on the interface, and the load on theinterface of the SCEF increases.

In addition, in the foregoing procedure, the IP filter information isused as an example for describing the charging procedure. In actualapplication, there may be a scenario in which an AS performs chargingfor some applications. The AS requests to be a payer of an applicationusing the SCEF, from the PCRF and the PCEF. In this case, the AS sendsapplication-related information, for example, an application name. Acorresponding functional module checks a data packet, and determines anapplication to which the data packet belongs. When the data packetbelongs to a corresponding application, corresponding chargingprocessing is performed on the data packet. A specific execution mannerof the charging processing is not limited herein. On this basis, arelatively large amount of application detection information is requiredfor application detection. In other approaches, the applicationdetection information is usually stored in the PCEF or in a data packetdetection function (Traffic Detection Function (TDF)). The applicationdetection information includes information such as a detection algorithmand an application characteristic. When the application detectioninformation needs to be frequently updated, extremely heavy load is alsocaused on the interface of the SCEF.

During execution of a policy other than charging, there is also aproblem that a large amount of transmitted information causes extremelyheavy load on the interface of the SCEF.

FIG. 2 shows a data packet processing method 200 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. In comparison with otherapproaches, a storage apparatus is added in the method 200. The storageapparatus is disposed on a network side, and may be jointly disposedwith a PCRF, a PCEF, a TDF, an MME, an SGW, or a PGW. Alternatively, thestorage apparatus may be independently disposed. This embodiment of thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, a name of thestorage apparatus is not limited, and may be another name. The method200 includes the following steps.

S201. An AS 21 sends a first message to an SCEF 22, where the firstmessage includes an identifier and corresponding data flowcharacteristic information, that is, the first message includesinformation indicating a correspondence between an identifier and dataflow characteristic information.

The identifier may include an application name, or the identifier may bea character string.

The data flow characteristic information may be used to represent acharacteristic of a data flow. For example, the data flow characteristicinformation may be application detection information. The applicationdetection information is used for application detection, and may includeapplication characteristic information, an application detectionalgorithm, or the like. An application to which a data packet belongsmay be determined according to the application detection information.

The data flow characteristic information may be at least one of 5-tupleinformation or a uniform resource locator (URL) (that is, may be 5-tupleinformation, a URL, or 5-tuple information and a URL).

The SCEF 22 forwards the first message to a storage apparatus 25, suchthat the storage apparatus 25 stores the correspondence between anidentifier and data flow characteristic information.

It should be understood that in the step S201, the first message mayinclude only an identifier and application detection informationcorresponding to the identifier (that is, the first message may includeonly information about a correspondence between an identifier andapplication detection information), or may include only an identifierand at least one of 5-tuple information or a URL corresponding to theidentifier (that is, the first message may include only informationabout a correspondence between an identifier and at least one of 5-tupleinformation or a URL), or may include both the foregoing twocorrespondences. This embodiment of the present disclosure is notlimited thereto.

Correspondingly, the storage apparatus receives the first message thatis sent by the AS using the SCEF. The storage apparatus 25 stores thecorrespondence between an identifier and data flow characteristicinformation according to the first message.

In this case, the storage apparatus 25 on the network side stores dataflow characteristic information that is transmitted for multiple timesin other approaches and that consumes a large amount of network traffic.This reduces pressure on an interface of the SCEF in a subsequentprocess.

The storage apparatus 25 stores the identifier and the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the identifier that are inthe first message (that is, the storage apparatus 25 stores thecorrespondence between an identifier and data flow characteristicinformation). In an example, the correspondence may be shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Identifier Data flow characteristic information Applicationname: A 5-tuple information (IP 5-tuple list) For example: 10.125.1.011.125.1.0 . . . Character string: B URL For example: www.weixin.com . .. Application name: C Application detection information For example:application characteristic information an application detectionalgorithm . . . . . . . . .

S202. The AS 21 sends a second message to the SCEF 22, where the secondmessage includes a first identifier and policy information correspondingto the first identifier. The second message is used to request thenetwork side to execute a corresponding policy. Correspondingly, theSCEF receives the second message that is sent by the AS.

For example, the policy information is used for executing a chargingprocedure. The second message may be used for requesting to set a payer,and the second message may include payer information and the firstidentifier requesting charging. The first identifier may include anapplication. name. The second message is an application programminginterface (API) request message.

It should be understood that the second message may further include a UEidentifier or a first UE list, in order to identify a UE that needs tobe charged. When the second message includes the first UE list, thefirst UE list includes at least two UEs.

S203. The SCEF 22 may authorize the network side to execute acorresponding policy as requested in the second message. For example,when the policy information is used for executing the chargingprocedure, the SCEF 22 may authorize the AS 21 to perform data flowcharging. It should be understood that in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the step S203 is optional, that is, this step may be omittedin specific implementation.

S204. The SCEF 22 sends a third message to a PCRF 23, where the thirdmessage includes the first identifier and the policy informationcorresponding to the first identifier. Correspondingly, the PCRFreceives the third message that is sent by the SCEF. Similar to thesecond message, the third message is also used to request the networkside to execute a corresponding policy. The second message and the thirdmessage are messages transmitted between different apparatuses on thenetwork side.

For example, the policy information is used for executing the chargingprocedure. The third message may be used for requesting to set a payer,and the third message includes the payer information and the firstidentifier requesting charging that are in the second message. When thesecond message further includes the UE identifier, the third message mayfurther include the UE identifier. When the second message furtherincludes the first UE list, the third message may further include asecond UE list.

It should be understood that the foregoing process (S202 to S204) mayoccur in a network attachment process of first UE. At the same time, theAS 21 notifies the PCRF 23 of policy information of another UE (UE inthe UE list) using the SCEF 22, such that the PCRF 23 performs a policyoperation on a data flow corresponding to the identifier for all UEs inthe UE list. In this case, the SCEF 22 notifies all. PCRFs 23 of the UElist. That is, the first UE list and the second UE list may beidentical.

It should be understood that the foregoing process (S202 to S204) mayoccur after attachment of UE is complete. When data flow characteristicinformation or policy information needs to be modified, the SCEF22determines a PCRF 23 in which UE in the UE list is located, and thenseparately sends different third messages to different PCRFs 23 in whichdifferent UEs are located. In this case, UE included in the second UElist in the third message is attached to the PCRF 23, and all UEsincluded in the second UE list are included in the first UE list. Thefirst UE list further includes UE attached to a PCRF other than the PCRF12.

S205. The PCRF23 sends a response message for the third message to theSCEF22.

S206. For UE corresponding to an UE identifier or a second UE list, thePCRF 23 sends a fourth message to a PCEF 24, where the fourth messageincludes the first identifier and the policy information, such that thePCEF 24 executes a policy corresponding to the first identifier. Forexample, the policy information is used for executing the chargingprocedure. The fourth message includes the payer information and thefirst identifier charged by the payer. The payer information and thefirst identifier charged by the payer may be included in a PCC rule,such that when the PCEF 24 installs and activates the PCC rule, the PCEF24 executes a policy that a payer identified in the payer informationcharges a data flow identified by the first identifier charged by thepayer.

It should be understood that the PCRF may send the fourth message to thePCEF in a PCC rule delivering process. That is, in the PCC ruledelivering process, the first identifier and the policy informationcorresponding to the first identifier may be delivered at the same time.Alternatively, the PCRF may send the fourth message to the PCEF when thePCEF requests the PCRF for a rule according to a user identifier. Themethod 200 is merely a possible implementation, and a time of sendingthe fourth message is not limited in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

S207. The PCEF 24 sends a fifth message to the storage apparatus 25according to the first identifier and the policy information in thefourth message received in the step S206, in order to request data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier.

For example, the policy information is used for executing the chargingprocedure. The fourth message includes the payer information and thefirst identifier charged by the payer. The PCEF 24 sends the fifthmessage to the storage apparatus 25, in order to request the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier chargedby the payer.

It should be understood that in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the PCEF 24 may store locally a correspondence between someidentifiers and data flow characteristic information. The correspondencemay be obtained from the storage apparatus and stored by the PCEF 24when a system starts. Alternatively, the correspondence may be requestedby the PCEF 24 from the storage apparatus 25 using the fifth messagewhen the PCEF 24 receives the fourth message that includes the firstidentifier and the policy information and that is sent by the PCRF 23,and may be stored after receiving, using a sixth message, the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier. Thisembodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Before the PCEF 24 sends the fifth message to the storage apparatus 25,the PCEF 24 needs to determine that the data flow characteristicinformation corresponding to the first identifier is not locally stored.In the charging procedure, if the PCEF 24 finds that the payerinformation and the data flow characteristic information correspondingto the first identifier charged by the payer have been locally stored,the step S207 is omitted. In this case, the data flow characteristicinformation corresponding to the first identifier charged by the payeris identified as “In Service”, in order to ensure that UE previouslyusing the data flow characteristic information does not delete the dataflow characteristic information when deactivating the PCC rule. Aspecific identifier name is not limited, and may be, for example,“Active State”, “In Service”, or the like.

When receiving a data packet of UE, the PCEF 24 determines, according toa PCC rule of the UE received from the PCRF 23, to execute a policy thatthe data packet identified by the first identifier of the UE (that is,the data packet includes the first identifier) is paid by the payer, notby the UE. Therefore, the PCEF 24 needs to first determine whether thedata packet is the data packet identified by the first identifier. Ifthe PCEF has the data flow characteristic information corresponding tothe data packet identified by the first identifier, the PCEF determines,according to the data flow characteristic information, whether the datapacket is the data packet identified by the first identifier. If thePCEF 24 does not have the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the data packet identified by the first identifier, thePCEF 24 requests the storage apparatus 25 for obtaining the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier. Then,whether the data packet belongs to the data flow identified by the firstidentifier is checked according to the data flow characteristicinformation. If the data packet belongs to the data flow identified bythe first identifier, the data packet is paid by a payer indicated bythe payer information.

For example, the PCEF 24 may check whether the data packet includes5-tuple information and/or a URL corresponding to the first identifier.When the data packet includes the 5-tuple information and/or the URLcorresponding to the first identifier, the PCEF 24 may determine thatthe checked data packet should be paid by the payer corresponding to thepayer information in the fourth message. Alternatively, the PCEF 24checks the data packet according to the application detectioninformation, and checks, according to the application detectioninformation, whether the data packet is the data packet identified bythe first identifier. If the data packet is the data packet identifiedby the first identifier, the PCEF 24 may determine that the checked datapacket should be paid by the payer corresponding to the payerinformation in the fourth message.

When the PCEF 24 does not store the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier, the PCEF 24 sends the fifthmessage to the storage apparatus 25, and the fifth message is used torequest the data flow characteristic information corresponding to thefirst identifier.

It should be understood that in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the steps of the PCEF 24 may be executed by the TDF. ThePCEF or the TDF are usually disposed in a PGW. Therefore, a solution inwhich the PGW is the execution body is also included in the solutions ofthe embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, the PCEF and theTDF in this embodiment of the present disclosure may be jointlydisposed. When the PCEF and the TDF are separately disposed, similar tothe PCEF, the TDF needs to perform corresponding steps.

S208. The PCEF 24 receives a sixth message that is sent by the storageapparatus 25, where the sixth message includes the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier. Thecharging procedure is still used as an example. The sixth messageincludes the data flow characteristic information corresponding to thefirst identifier charged by the payer. The PCEF 24 stores the receiveddata flow characteristic information. The PCEF 24 executes a policy thatthe payer corresponding to the payer information charges the data packetcorresponding to the data flow characteristic information.

In conclusion, when the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier includes the 5-tuple informationand/or the uniform resource locator (URL) corresponding to the firstidentifier, the PCEF determines whether 5-tuple information and/or a URLincluded in the data packet is the 5-tuple information and/or the URLcorresponding to the first identifier. When the PCEF determines that the5-tuple information and/or the URL included in the data packet is the5-tuple information and/or the URL corresponding to the firstidentifier, the PCEF executes a policy on the data packet according tothe policy information. When the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier includes application detectioninformation corresponding to the first identifier, the PCEF checks thedata packet according to the application detection informationcorresponding to the first identifier, in order to determine whether thedata packet belongs to an application corresponding to the firstidentifier. When the PCEF determines that the data packet belongs to theapplication corresponding to the first identifier, the PCEF executes apolicy on the data packet according to the policy information.

In brief, the PCEF receives data packet that is sent by a user equipment(UE), and matches information carried in the data packet against thedata flow characteristic information. The PCEF executes the policy onthe data packet according to the policy information when the informationcarried in the data packet matches the data flow characteristicinformation.

S209. The PCRF 23 sends a status message to the SCEF 22.

S210. The SCEF 22 sends an ACK message to the PCRF 23.

S211. The SCEF 22 sends an API response message to the AS 21.

According to the data packet processing method in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure, a storage apparatus disposed on a network sidestores a correspondence between an identifier and data flowcharacteristic information. When configuring a policy for a data packetincluding a first identifier, a network-side device requests the storageapparatus for data flow characteristic information corresponding to thefirst identifier. A PCEF receives the data packet that is sent by UE,matches the data packet against the data flow characteristicinformation, and when the data packet matches the data flowcharacteristic information, executes a policy on the data packetaccording to policy information corresponding to the first identifier.This avoids transmitting a considerable amount of data flowcharacteristic information on an interface of an SCEF, and relieves loadon the SCEF.

The foregoing describes in detail the data packet processing method inone embodiment of the present disclosure from a perspective of an entireprocedure. The following separately describes a data packet processingmethod in embodiments of the present disclosure from perspectives ofexecution bodies of the method.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing method 300according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300 isexecuted by a PCEF, and includes the following steps.

S310. The PCEF receives a fourth message that is sent by a PCRF, wherethe fourth message includes a first identifier and policy informationcorresponding to the first identifier.

S320. The PCEF sends a fifth message to a storage apparatus, where thefifth message includes the first identifier, the storage apparatusstores a correspondence between an identifier and data flowcharacteristic information, and the fifth message is used to request thestorage apparatus for data flow characteristic information correspondingto the first identifier.

S330. The PCEF receives a sixth message that is sent by the storageapparatus, where the sixth message includes the data flow characteristicinformation corresponding to the first identifier.

S340. The PCEF receives a data packet that is sent by a UE, and matchesinformation carried in the data packet against the data flowcharacteristic information.

S350. The PCEF executes a policy on the data packet according to thepolicy information when the information carried in the data packetmatches the data flow characteristic information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier includes 5-tuple informationand/or a uniform resource locator (URL) corresponding to the firstidentifier. The method 300 may further include: determining, by the PCEFwhether 5-tuple information and/or a URL included in the data packet isthe 5-tuple information and/or the URL corresponding to the firstidentifier; and when the PCEF determines that the 5-tuple informationand/or the URL included in the data packet is the 5-tuple informationand/or the URL corresponding to the first identifier, executing, by thePCEF, the policy on the data packet according to the policy information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier includes application detectioninformation corresponding to the first identifier. The step S340 inwhich the PCEF receives a data packet that is sent by a UE, and matchesinformation carried in the data packet against the data flowcharacteristic information includes: receiving, by the PCEF, the datapacket that is sent by the UE, checking the data packet according to theapplication detection information corresponding to the first identifier,and determining whether the data packet belongs to an applicationcorresponding to the first identifier. The step S350 in which the PCEFexecutes a policy on the data packet according to the policy informationwhen the information carried in the data packet matches the data flowcharacteristic information includes: executing, by the PCEF, the policyon the data packet according to the policy information when the PCEFdetermines that the data packet belongs to the application correspondingto the first identifier.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, optionally, before thestep S320 in which the PCEF sends a fifth message to a storageapparatus, the method 300 may further include: determining, by the PCEF,that the data flow characteristic information corresponding to the firstidentifier is not locally stored.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the firstidentifier includes an application name.

According to the data packet processing method in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure, a storage apparatus disposed on a network sidestores a correspondence between an identifier and data flowcharacteristic information. When executing a policy on a data packetincluding a first identifier, a PCEF requests the storage apparatus fordata flow characteristic information corresponding to the firstidentifier. The PCEF receives a data packet that is sent by UE, matchesthe data packet against the data flow characteristic information, andwhen the data packet matches the data flow characteristic information,executes a policy on the data packet according to policy informationcorresponding to the first identifier. This avoids transmitting aconsiderable amount of data flow characteristic information on aninterface of an SCEF, and relieves load on the SCEF.

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing method 400according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 isexecuted by a storage apparatus, and includes the following steps.

S410. A storage apparatus receives a first message that is sent by a 3rdparty application server (AS) using a service capability exposurefunction (SCEF), where the first message includes information indicatinga correspondence between an identifier and data flow characteristicinformation.

S420. The storage apparatus receives a fifth message that is sent by apolicy and charging enforcement function (PCEF), where the fifth messageincludes a first identifier, and the fifth message is used to requestthe storage apparatus for data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier.

S430. The storage apparatus determines, according to the firstidentifier and the correspondence, the data flow characteristicinformation corresponding to the first identifier.

S440. The storage apparatus sends a sixth message to the PCEF, where thesixth message includes the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and application detectioninformation.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the step S430 in which thestorage apparatus determines, according to the first identifier and thecorrespondence, the data flow characteristic information correspondingto the first identifier may include: determining, by the storageapparatus according to the first identifier and the correspondencebetween an identifier and application detection information, applicationdetection information corresponding to the first identifier, where theapplication detection information corresponding to the first identifieris used as the data flow characteristic information corresponding to thefirst identifier, and the application detection informationcorresponding to the first identifier is used to check whether acorresponding data packet belongs to an application corresponding to thefirst identifier.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and at least one of 5-tupleinformation or a URL.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the step S430 in which thestorage apparatus determines, according to the first identifier and thecorrespondence, the data flow characteristic information correspondingto the first identifier includes: determining, by the storage apparatusaccording to the first identifier and the correspondence between anidentifier and at least one of 5-tuple information or a URL, 5-tupleinformation and/or a URL corresponding to the first identifier, wherethe 5-tuple information and/or the URL corresponding to the firstidentifier is used as the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, preferably, the firstidentifier includes an application name.

According to the data packet processing method in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure, a storage apparatus disposed on a network sidestores a correspondence between an identifier and data flowcharacteristic information. When configuring a policy for a data packetincluding a first identifier, a network-side device requests the storageapparatus for data flow characteristic information corresponding to thefirst identifier. This avoids transmitting a considerable amount of dataflow characteristic information on an interface of an SCEF, and relievesload on the SCEF.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing method 500according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 500 isexecuted by an AS, and includes the following step.

S510. The AS sends a second message to a service capability exposurefunction (SCEF), where the second message includes a first identifierand policy information corresponding to the first identifier.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the method 500 may further include:sending, by the AS, a first message to the SCEF, where the first messageincludes a correspondence between an identifier and data flowcharacteristic information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the second message may further include afirst UE list, and the first UE list includes at least two UEs.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and application detectioninformation.

Optionally, in another embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and at least one of 5-tupleinformation or a URL.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing method 600according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 600 isexecuted by an SCEF, and includes the following steps.

S610. The SCEF receives a second message that is sent by a 3rd party AS,where the second message includes a first identifier and policyinformation corresponding to the first identifier.

S620, The SCEF sends a third message to a policy and charging rulesfunction (PCRF), where the third message includes the first identifierand the policy information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the second message may further include afirst UE list, and the first UE list includes at least two UEs. Thethird message may further include a second UE list, and the second UElist includes at least one UE.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the first UE list and thesecond UE list may be identical.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, optionally, the policyinformation may include at least one type of payer information, Qualityof Service (QoS) information, or service chain information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the method 600 may further include:receiving, by the SCEF, a first message that is sent by the AS, wherethe first message includes a correspondence between an identifier anddata flow characteristic information; and sending, by the SCEF, thefirst message to the storage apparatus.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, optionally, thecorrespondence may include a correspondence between an identifier andapplication detection information.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, optionally, thecorrespondence may include a correspondence between an identifier and atleast one of 5-tuple information or a URL.

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing method 700according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 700 isexecuted by a PCRF, and includes the following steps.

S710. The PCRF receives a third message that is sent by an SCEF, wherethe third message includes a first identifier and policy informationcorresponding to the first identifier.

S720. The PCRF sends a fourth message to a policy and chargingenforcement function (PCEF), where the fourth message includes the firstidentifier and the policy information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the third message may further include a UElist. The step S720 in which the PCRF sends a fourth message to a policyand charging enforcement function (PCEF) may include: sending, by thePCRF, the fourth message to the PCEF according to the UE list, where thefourth message instructs to execute, according to the policyinformation, a policy on UE included in the UE list.

FIG. 8 shows a data packet processing method 800 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The method 800 includes thefollowing steps.

S801. An AS 81 sends a first message to an SCEF 82, where the firstmessage includes data flow information, policy information correspondingto the data flow information, and a first UE list, and the first UE listincludes at least two UEs. The first message is used to request toexecute a policy.

A charging procedure is used as an example. The first message is usedfor requesting to set a payer, and the first message includes payerinformation, 5-tuple information and/or a URL, and a first UE list. Thefirst UE list includes at least two UEs. For example, that the policyinformation is applicable to all UEs may be indicated in a non-UE listmanner, for example, indicated by “ALL users”. A specific name is notlimited.

In comparison with other approaches, information about the first UE listis added in the method 800 in this embodiment of the present disclosure.The first UP list is used to indicate user equipment for which a paymentoperation is performed by a payer on a data flow corresponding to5-tuple information and/or a URL.

S802. The SCEF 82 may authorize a network side to execute acorresponding policy as requested in the first message. For example,when the policy information is used for executing the chargingprocedure, the SCEF 82 may authorize the AS 81 to perform data flowcharging. It should be understood that in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the step S802 is optional, that is, this step may be omittedin specific implementation.

S803. The SCEF 82 sends a second message to a PCRF 83, where the secondmessage includes the data flow information, the policy informationcorresponding to the data flow information, and a second list, and thesecond UE list includes at least one UE. Likewise, that the policyinformation is applicable to all UEs may be indicated in a non-UE listmanner, for example, indicated by “ALL users”. A specific name is notlimited. Therefore, the PCRF, the PCEF, and the like execute, accordingto the second UE list, a policy on UE included in the second UE list.The second message is API request information requesting to set acharging party (sponsor information, IP filter information, UE list).The second message is used for requesting to set a payer, the secondmessage includes payer information, 5-tuple information and/or a URL,and the second UE list, and the second UE list includes at least one UE,such that the PCRF performs, according to the second UE list, policy andcharging control PCC on the UE included in the second UE list.

It should be understood that the foregoing process may occur in anetwork attachment process of first UE. At the same time, the AS 81 alsonotifies the PCRF 83 of information about another UE (in the UE list)using the SCEF 82, such that the PCRF 83 performs a charging operationon a data flow identified by a data flow identifier for all UEs in theUE list. In this case, the SCEF 82 notifies all PCRFs 83 of the UE list.That is, the first UE list and the second UE list may be identical.

It should be understood that the foregoing process may occur afterattachment of UE is complete. When data flow characteristic informationor policy information needs to be modified, the SCEF determines a PCRFin which UE in the UE list is located, and then separately sendsdifferent second messages to different PCRFs in which different UEs arelocated. In this case, the UE included in the second UE list in thesecond message is attached to the PCRF 83, and all UEs included in thesecond UE list are included in the first UE list. The first UE listfurther includes UE attached to a PCRF other than the PCRF 83.

S804. The PCRF 83 sends a response message to the SCEF 82.

S805. The PCRF 83 performs, according to the second UE list, PCC on theUE included in the second UE list.

S806. The PCRF 83 sends a status message to the SCEF 82.

S807. The SCEF 82 sends an ACK message to the PCRF 83.

S808. The SCEF 82 sends an API response message to the AS 81.

According to the data packet processing method in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure, in a data packet processing process, an AS sendsdata flow information of multiple UEs and corresponding policyinformation to a network-side device at a time using an SCEF. Thisavoids transmitting a considerable amount of data flow characteristicinformation on an interface of the SCEF, and relieves load on the SCEF.

The foregoing describes in detail the data packet processing method inanother embodiment of the present disclosure from a perspective of anentire procedure. The following separately describes a data packetprocessing method in embodiments of the present disclosure fromperspectives of execution bodies of the method.

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing method 900according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The method900 is executed by an SCEF, and includes the following steps.

S910. The SCEF receives a first message that is sent by an AS, where thefirst message includes data flow information, policy informationcorresponding to the data flow information, and a first UE list, and thefirst UE list includes at least two UEs.

S920. The SCEF sends a second message to a policy and charging rulesfunction (PCRF), where the second message includes the data flowinformation, the policy information, and a second UE list, and thesecond UE list includes at least one UE, such that the PCRF executes,according to the second UE list, a policy corresponding to the policyinformation on UE included in the second UE list.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the first UE list and the second UE listmay be identical.

According to the data packet processing method in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure, in a data packet processing process, an. AS sendsdata flow information of multiple UEs and corresponding policyinformation to a network-side device at a time using an SCEF. Thisavoids transmitting a considerable amount of data flow characteristicinformation on an interface of the SCEF, and relieves load on the SCEF.

FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing method 1000according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The method1000 is executed by an AS, and includes the following step.

S1010. The AS sends a first message to a service capability exposurefunction (SCEF), where the first message includes data flow information,policy information corresponding to the data flow information, and afirst UE list, and the first UE list includes at least two UEs.

According to the data packet processing method in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure, in a data packet processing process, an AS sendsdata flow information of multiple UEs and corresponding policyinformation to a network-side device at a time using an SCEF. Thisavoids transmitting a considerable amount of data flow characteristicinformation on an interface of the SCEF, and relieves load on the SCEF.

FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet processing method 1100according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The method1100 is executed by a PCRF, and includes the following steps.

S1110. The PCRF receives a second message that is sent by a servicecapability exposure function (SCEF), where the second message includesthe data flow information, policy information corresponding to the dataflow information, and a second UE list, and the second UE list includesat least one UE.

S1120. The PCRF executes, according to the second UE list, a policycorresponding to the policy information on UE included in the second UElist.

According to the data packet processing method in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure, in a data packet processing process, an AS sendsdata flow information of multiple UEs and corresponding policyinformation to a network-side device at a time using an SCEF. Thisavoids transmitting a considerable amount of data flow characteristicinformation on an interface of the SCEF, and relieves load on the SCEF.

It should be understood that although the embodiments of the presentdisclosure are described using a charging procedure as an example, thesolutions of the present disclosure may be used to execute variouspolicies. For example, a Quality of Service (QoS) policy, a servicechain policy, and the like may further be executed.

The QoS policy is a policy of maintaining service quality control ondifferent UEs or different data. Formulated for a data flow, the servicechain policy is a processing sequence of service functions that the dataflow needs to visit. A service function that a data flow needs to visitand a sequence of service functions that need to be visited are definedas a service chain. For example, (anti-virus, firewall, network addresstranslation (NAT)), (application caching and acceleration, firewall,NAT), and (firewall, NAT, anti-virus) belong to different servicechains. Therefore, the data flow can be sent, according to the servicechain, to a processing device for a service function that the data flowneeds to visit correspondingly. For content of QoS information andservice chain information, refer to an existing standard and technology.The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, anddetails are not described herein.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, during execution of one ormore policies, policy information may include at least one type of payerinformation, QoS information, or service chain information.

It should be understood that sequence numbers of the foregoing processesdo not mean execution sequences in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The execution sequences of the processes should bedetermined according to functions and internal logic of the processes,and should not be construed as any limitation on the implementationprocesses of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The foregoing describes in detail the data packet processing method inthe embodiments of the present disclosure. The following describes adata packet processing apparatus in embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a PCEF 1200 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The PCEF 1200 includes a receivingmodule 1210, a sending module 1220, and a processing module 1230.

The receiving module 1210 is configured to receive a fourth message thatis sent by a PCRF, and the fourth message includes a first identifierand policy information corresponding to the first identifier.

The sending module 1220 is configured to send a fifth message to astorage apparatus, and the fifth message includes the first identifier.The storage apparatus stores a correspondence between an identifier anddata flow characteristic information, and the fifth message is used torequest the storage apparatus for data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier.

The receiving module 1210 is further configured to receive a sixthmessage that is sent by the storage apparatus, and the sixth messageincludes the data flow characteristic information corresponding to thefirst identifier.

The receiving module 1210 is further configured to receive a data packetthat is sent by a UE.

The processing module 1230 is configured to match information carried inthe data packet against the data flow characteristic information.

The processing module 1230 is further configured to execute a policy onthe data packet according to the policy information when the informationcarried in the data packet received by the receiving module matches thedata flow characteristic information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier may include 5-tuple informationand/or a URL corresponding to the first identifier. The processingmodule 1230 is configured to determine whether 5-tuple informationand/or a URL included in the data packet is the 5-tuple informationand/or the URL corresponding to the first identifier.

If the 5-tuple information and/or the URL included in the data packet isthe 5-tuple information and/or the URL corresponding to the firstidentifier, the PCEF executes the policy on the data packet according tothe policy information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier may include application detectioninformation corresponding to the first identifier. Additionally, theprocessing module 1230 is configured to: check the data packet accordingto the application detection information corresponding to the firstidentifier; and determine whether the data packet belongs to anapplication corresponding to the first identifier.

The PCEF executes the policy on the data packet according to the policyinformation if the data packet belongs to the application correspondingto the first identifier.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the PCEF 1200 may further include aprocessing module configured such that before the sending module sendsthe fifth message to the storage apparatus, the processing moduledetermines that the data flow characteristic information correspondingto the first identifier is not locally stored.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the first identifier mayinclude an application name.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present disclosure,the receiving module 1210 may be implemented by a receiver, and thesending module 1220 may be implemented by a transmitter. As shown inFIG. 13, a PCEF 1300 may include a processor 1310, a receiver 1320, atransmitter 1330, and a memory 1340. The memory 1340 may be configuredto store code executed by the processor 1310, and the like.

Components in the PCEF 1300 are coupled together using a bus system1350. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 1350 further includes apower supply bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus.

The PCEF 1200 shown in FIG. 12 or the PCEF 1300 shown in FIG. 13 canimplement the processes implemented in the embodiments of FIG. 2 to FIG.7 described above, To avoid repetition, details are not described hereinagain.

It should be noted that the foregoing method embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be applied to a processor, or be implemented by aprocessor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip and has asignal processing capability. In an implementation process, the steps inthe foregoing method embodiments may be completed using an integratedlogic circuit of hardware in the processor or instructions in a form ofsoftware, The processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digitalsignal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or another programmablelogic component, a discrete gate or a transistor logic component, or adiscrete hardware component. The processor may implement or executevarious methods, steps, and logical block diagrams disclosed in theembodiments of the present disclosure. The general-purpose processor maybe a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processoror the like. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of thepresent disclosure may be directly executed and completed by a hardwaredecoding processor, or executed and completed by means of a combinationof hardware and software modules in a decoding processor. The softwaremodule may be located in any mature storage medium in the field such asa random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, aprogrammable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmablememory, or a register. The storage medium is located in the memory, andthe processor reads information in the memory and completes the steps ofthe foregoing method in combination with hardware of the processor.

It may be understood that the memory in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be a volatile memory, or may be a non-volatile memory, ormay include both a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. Thenon-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmableread-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory(EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory(EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random accessmemory (RAM), and the random access memory is used as an external cache.By way of example and not limitation, RAMS of many forms are applicable,such as a static random access memory (SRAM), a dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), adouble data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM),an enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), asynchlink dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and a direct rambusrandom access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory in thesystem and method described in this specification aims to include but isnot limited to these memories and any memory of another proper type.

FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram of a storage apparatus 1400according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The storageapparatus 1400 includes: a receiving module 1410 configured to receive afirst message that is sent by a 3rd party AS using a service capabilityexposure function (SCEF), where the first message includes informationindicating a correspondence between an identifier and data flowcharacteristic information; where the receiving module 1410 is furtherconfigured to receive a fifth message that is sent by a policy andcharging enforcement function (PCEF), where the fifth message includes afirst identifier, and the fifth message is used to request the storageapparatus for data flow characteristic information corresponding to thefirst identifier; a processing module 1420 configured to determine,according to the first identifier and the correspondence, the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier; and asending module 1430 configured to send a sixth message to the PCEF,where the sixth message includes the data flow characteristicinformation corresponding to the first identifier.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and application detectioninformation.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the processing module 1420 may beconfigured to determine, according to the first identifier and thecorrespondence between an identifier and application detectioninformation, application detection information corresponding to thefirst identifier. The application detection information corresponding tothe first identifier is used as the data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier, and the application detectioninformation corresponding to the first identifier is used to checkwhether a corresponding data packet belongs to an applicationcorresponding to the first identifier.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and at least one of 5-tupleinformation or a URL.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the processing module 1420 may beconfigured to determine, according to the first identifier and thecorrespondence between an identifier and at least one of 5-tupleinformation or a URL, 5-tuple information and/or a URL corresponding tothe first identifier, where the 5-tuple information and/or the URLcorresponding to the first identifier is used as the data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the first identifier mayinclude an application name.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present disclosure,the receiving module 1410 may be implemented by a receiver, the sendingmodule 1430 may be implemented by a transmitter, and the processingmodule 1420 may be implemented by a processor. As shown in FIG. 15, astorage apparatus 1500 may include a processor 1510, a receiver 1520, atransmitter 1530, and a memory 1540. The memory 1540 may be configuredto store code executed by the processor 1510, and the like.

All components in the storage apparatus 1500 are coupled together usingthe bus system 1550. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 1550further includes a power supply bus, a control bus, and a status signalbus.

The storage apparatus 1400 shown in FIG. 14 or the storage apparatus1500 shown in FIG. 15 can implement the processes implemented in theembodiments of FIG. 2 to FIG. 7 described above. To avoid repetition,details are not described herein again.

FIG. 16 is a schematic block diagram of an AS 1600 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The AS 1600 includes a sendingmodule 1610 configured to send a second message to a service capabilityexposure function (SCEF), where the second message includes a firstidentifier and policy information corresponding to the first identifier.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the sending module 1610 may further beconfigured to send a first message to the SCEF, where the first messageincludes a correspondence between an identifier and data flowcharacteristic information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the second message may further include afirst UE list, and the first UE list includes at least two UEs.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and application detectioninformation.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and at least one of 5-tupleinformation or a URL.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present disclosure,the sending module 1610 may be implemented by a transmitter. As shown inFIG. 17, an AS 1700 may include a processor 1710, a transmitter 1720,and a memory 1730. The memory 1730 may be configured to store codeexecuted by the processor 1710, and the like.

Components in the AS 1700 are coupled together using a bus system 1740.In addition to a data bus, the bus system 1740 further includes a powersupply bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus.

The AS 1600 shown in FIG. 16 or the AS 1700 shown in FIG. 17 canimplement the processes implemented in the embodiments of FIG. 2 to FIG.7 described above. To avoid repetition, details are not described hereinagain.

FIG. 18 is a schematic block diagram of an SCEF 1800 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The SCEF 1800 includes: areceiving module 1810 configured to receive a second message that issent by a 3rd party AS, where the second message includes a firstidentifier and policy information corresponding to the first identifier;and a sending module 1820 configured to send a third message to a PCRF,where the third message includes the first identifier and the policyinformation.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the second message may further include afirst UE and the first UE list includes at least two UEs.

The third message further includes a second UE list, and the second UElist includes at least one UE.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the first UE list and the second UE listmay be identical.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the receiving module 1810 may further beconfigured to receive a first message that is sent by the AS, where thefirst message includes a correspondence between an identifier and dataflow characteristic information.

The sending module 1820 is further configured to send the first messageto the storage apparatus.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and application detectioninformation.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the correspondence may include acorrespondence between an identifier and at least one of 5-tupleinformation or a URL.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present disclosure,the receiving module 1810 may be implemented by a receiver, and thesending module 1820 may be implemented by a transmitter. As shown inFIG. 19, an SCEF 1900 may include a processor 1910, a receiver 1920, atransmitter 1930, and a memory 1940. The memory 1940 may be configuredto store code executed by the processor 1910, and the like.

Components in the SCEF 1900 are coupled together using a bus system1950. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 1950 further includes apower supply bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus.

The SCEF 1800 shown in FIG. 18 or the SCEF 1900 shown in FIG. 19 canimplement the processes implemented in the embodiments of FIG. 2 to FIG.7 described above, To avoid repetition, details are not described hereinagain.

FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram of a PCRF 2000 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The PCRF 2000 includes: areceiving module 2010 configured to receive a third message that is sentby a service capability exposure function (SCEF), where the thirdmessage includes a first identifier and policy information correspondingto the first identifier; and a sending module 2020 configured to send afourth message to a PCEF, where the fourth message includes the firstidentifier and the policy information.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the third message may further include a UElist, and the sending module 2020 may be configured to send the fourthmessage to the PCEF according to the UE list, where the fourth messageinstructs to execute, according to the policy information, a policy onUE included in the UE list.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present disclosure,the receiving module 2010 may be implemented by a receiver, and thesending module 2020 may be implemented by a transmitter. As shown inFIG. 21, a PCRF 2100 may include a processor 2110, a receiver 2120, atransmitter 2130, and a memory 2140. The memory 2140 may be configuredto store code executed by the processor 2110, and the like.

Components in the PCRF 2100 are coupled together using a bus system2150. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 2150 further includes apower supply bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus.

The PCRF 2000 shown in FIG. 20 or the PCRF 2100 shown in FIG. 21 canimplement the processes implemented in the embodiments of FIG. 2 to FIG.7 described above. To avoid repetition, details are not described hereinagain.

An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a systemincluding a storage apparatus, a PCEF, a service capability exposurefunction (SCEF), and a policy and charging rules function (PCRF). Thesystem may further include a 3rd party AS. The storage apparatus, thePCEF, the SCEF, the PCRF, and the AS are respectively corresponding tothe corresponding apparatuses, functions, or devices in the foregoingembodiments of FIG. 2 to FIG. 7, or may be corresponding to thecorresponding apparatuses, functions, or devices in FIG. 12 to FIG. 21.To avoid repetition, details are not described herein again.

FIG. 22 is a schematic block diagram of an SCEF 2200 according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure. The SCEF 2200 includes: areceiving module 2210 configured to receive a first message that is sentby a 3rd party AS, where the first message includes data flowinformation, policy information corresponding to the data flowinformation, and a first UE list, and the first UE list includes atleast two UEs; and a sending module 2220 configured to send a secondmessage to a PCRF, where the second message includes the data flowinformation, the policy information, and a second UE list, and thesecond UE list includes at least one UE, such that the PCRF executes,according to the second UE list, a policy corresponding to the policyinformation on UE included in the second UE list.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the first UE list and the second UE listmay be identical.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present disclosure,the receiving module 2210 may be implemented by a receiver, and thesending module 2220 may be implemented by a transmitter. As shown inFIG. 23, an SCEF 2300 may include a processor 2310, a receiver 2320, atransmitter 2330, and a memory 2340. The memory 2340 may be configuredto store code executed by the processor 2310, and the like

Components in the SCEF 2300 are coupled together using a bus system2350. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 2350 further includes apower supply bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus.

The SCEF 2200 shown in FIG. 22 or the SCEF 2300 shown in FIG. 23 canimplement the processes implemented in the embodiments of FIG. 8 to FIG.11 described above. To avoid repetition, details are not describedherein again.

FIG. 24 is a schematic block diagram of an AS 2400 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure. The AS 2400 includes: a sendingmodule 2410 configured to send a first message to a service capabilityexposure function (SCEF), where the first message includes data flowinformation, policy information corresponding to the data flowinformation, and a first UE list, and the first UE list includes atleast two UEs.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present disclosure,the sending module 2410 may be implemented by a transmitter. As shown inFIG. 25, an AS 2500 may include a processor 2510, a transmitter 2520,and a memory 2530. The memory 2530 may be configured to store codeexecuted by the processor 2510, and the like.

Components in the AS 2500 are coupled together using a bus system 2540.In addition to a data bus, the bus system 2540 further includes a powersupply bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus.

The AS 2400 shown in FIG. 24 or the AS 2500 shown in FIG. 25 canimplement the processes implemented in the embodiments of FIG. 8 to FIG.11 described above. To avoid repetition, details are not describedherein again.

FIG. 26 is a schematic block diagram of a PCRF 2600 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure. The PCRF 2600 includes: areceiving module 2610 configured to receive a second message that issent by a service capability exposure function (SCEF), where the secondmessage includes the data flow information, policy informationcorresponding to the data flow information, and a second UE list, andthe second UE list includes at least one UE; and a processing module2620 configured to execute, according to the second. UE list, a policycorresponding to the policy information on UE included in the second UElist.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present disclosure,the receiving module 2610 may be implemented by a receiver, and theprocessing module 2620 may be implemented by a processor. As shown inFIG. 27, a PCRF 2700 may include a processor 2710, a receiver 2720, anda memory 2730. The memory 2730 may be configured to store code executedby the processor 2710, and the like.

Components in the PCRF 2700 are coupled together using a bus system2740. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 2740 further includes apower supply bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus.

The PCRF 2600 shown in FIG. 26 or the PCRF 2700 shown in FIG. 27 canimplement the processes implemented in the embodiments of FIG. 8 to FIG.11 described above. To avoid repetition, details are not describedherein again.

An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a systemincluding a 3rd party AS, an SCEF, and a PCRF. The system may furtherinclude a PCEF. The PCEF, the SCEF, the PCRF, and the AS arerespectively corresponding to the corresponding apparatuses, functions,or devices in the foregoing embodiments of FIG. 8 to FIG. 11, or may becorresponding to the corresponding apparatuses, functions, or devices inFIG. 22 to FIG. 27. To avoid repetition, details are not describedherein again.

A person of ordinary skill in the art may be aware that, in combinationwith the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in thisspecification, units and algorithm steps may be implemented byelectronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronichardware. Whether the functions are performed by hardware or softwaredepends on particular applications and design constraint conditions ofthe technical solutions. A person skilled in the art may use differentmethods to implement the described functions for each particularapplication, but it should not be considered that the implementationgoes beyond the scope of the present disclosure.

It may be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art that, forthe purpose of convenient and brief description, for a detailed workingprocess of the foregoing system, apparatus, and unit, reference may bemade to a corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, anddetails are not described herein.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should beunderstood that the disclosed system, apparatus, and method may beimplemented in other manners. For example, the described apparatusembodiment is merely an example. For example, the unit division ismerely logical function division and may be other division in actualimplementation. For example, a plurality of units or components may becombined or integrated into another system, or some features may beignored or not performed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutualcouplings or direct couplings or communication connections may beimplemented using some interfaces. The indirect couplings orcommunication connections between the apparatuses or units may beimplemented in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physicallyseparate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units,may be located in one position, or may be distributed on a plurality ofnetwork units. Some or all of the units may be selected according toactual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of theembodiments.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be integrated into one processing unit, or each of theunits may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integratedinto one unit.

When the functions are implemented in the form of a software functionalunit and sold or used as an independent product, the functions may bestored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such anunderstanding, the technical solutions of the present disclosureessentially, or the part contributing to other approaches, or some ofthe technical solutions may be implemented in a form of a softwareproduct. The software product is stored in a storage medium, andincludes several instructions for instructing a computer device (whichmay be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to performall or some of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments ofthe present disclosure. The foregoing storage medium includes: anymedium that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, aremovable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory(RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disc.

The foregoing descriptions are merely example implementations of thepresent disclosure, but are not intended to limit the protection scopeof the present disclosure. Any variation or replacement readily figuredout by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosedin the present disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of thepresent disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the presentdisclosure shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A data packet processing method comprising:receiving, by a storage apparatus, information indicating acorrespondence between an identifier and data flow characteristicinformation from an application server; sending, by a policy andcharging enforcement function (PCEF), a message to the storageapparatus, wherein the message comprises a first identifier, and whereinthe message requests the storage apparatus for first data flowcharacteristic information corresponding to the first identifier;determining, by the storage apparatus according to the first identifierand the correspondence, the first data flow characteristic information;and sending, by the storage apparatus, a second message to the PCEF,wherein the second message comprises the first data flow characteristicinformation.
 2. The data packet processing method according to claim 1,wherein the data flow characteristic information comprises at least oneof 5-tuple information or a uniform resource locator (URL).
 3. The datapacket processing method according to claim 2, wherein determining thefirst data flow characteristic information corresponding to the firstidentifier comprises determining, by the storage apparatus according tothe first identifier and the correspondence, at least one of first5-tuple information or first URL corresponding to the first identifier,and wherein the storage apparatus uses the first 5-tuple information orthe first URL as the first data flow characteristic information.
 4. Thedata packet processing method according to claim 1, wherein the firstidentifier comprises an application name.
 5. The data packet processingmethod according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the PCEF,a third message from a policy and charging rules function (PCRF),wherein the third message comprises the first identifier and firstpolicy information corresponding to the first identifier.
 6. The datapacket processing method according to claim 5, further comprising:receiving, by the PCEF, a data packet from a user equipment (UE);matching information carried in the data packet against the first dataflow characteristic information; and executing, by the PCEF, a firstpolicy on the data packet according to the first policy information whenthe information carried in the data packet matches the first data flowcharacteristic information.
 7. The data packet processing methodaccording to claim 6, wherein the first data flow characteristicinformation comprises at least one of first 5-tuple information or afirst uniform resource locator (URL) corresponding to the firstidentifier, and wherein the data packet processing method furthercomprises: determining, by the PCEF, whether second 5-tuple informationor a second URL comprised in the data packet is the first 5-tupleinformation or the first URL; and executing, by the PCEF, the firstpolicy on the data packet according to the policy information when thePCEF determines that the second 5-tuple information or the second URLcomprised in the data packet is the first 5-tuple information or thefirst URL corresponding to the first identifier.
 8. The data packetprocessing method according to claim 5, wherein the policy informationcomprises at least one of payer information, quality of service (QoS)information, or service chain information.
 9. A system comprising: astorage apparatus configured to: receive information indicating acorrespondence between an identifier and data flow characteristicinformation from an application server; receive a message comprising afirst identifier, wherein the message requests the storage apparatus forfirst data flow characteristic information corresponding to the firstidentifier; determine according to the first identifier and thecorrespondence, the first data flow characteristic informationcorresponding to the first identifier; and send a second messagecomprising the first data flow characteristic information correspondingto the first identifier; and a policy and charging enforcement function(PCEF) configured to: send the message to the storage apparatus; andreceive the second message from the storage apparatus.
 10. The systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the data flow characteristic informationcomprises at least one of 5-tuple information or a uniform resourcelocator (URL).
 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the storageapparatus is configured to determine the first data flow characteristicinformation corresponding to the first identifier by determiningaccording to the first identifier and the correspondence, at least oneof first 5-tuple information or a first URL corresponding to the firstidentifier, and wherein the storage apparatus uses the at least one ofthe first 5-tuple information or the first URL as the first data flowcharacteristic information.
 12. The system according to claim 9, whereinthe first identifier comprises an application name.
 13. The systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the PCEF is further configured to receive,a third message from a policy and charging rules function (PCRF). 14.The system according to claim 13, wherein the third message comprisesthe first identifier and first policy information corresponding to thefirst identifier.
 15. The system according to claim 14, the PCEF isfurther configured to: receive, a data packet from a user equipment(UE); match information carried in the data packet against the firstdata flow characteristic information; and execute a first policy on thedata packet according to the first policy information the informationcarried in the data packet matches the first data flow characteristicinformation.
 16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the firstdata flow characteristic information corresponding to the firstidentifier comprises at least one of first 5-tuple information or afirst uniform resource locator (URL) corresponding to the firstidentifier.
 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the PCEF isfurther configured to: determine whether second 5-tuple information or asecond URL comprised in the data packet is the first 5-tuple informationor the first URL corresponding to the first identifier; and execute thefirst policy on the data packet according to the first policyinformation when the PCEF determines that the second 5-tuple informationor the second URL comprised in the data packet is the first 5-tupleinformation or the first URL corresponding to the first identifier. 18.The method according to claim 14, wherein the policy informationcomprises information.
 19. The method according to claim 14, wherein thepolicy information comprises Quality of Service (QoS) information. 20.The method according to claim 14, wherein the policy informationcomprises service chain information.